


celestial motions

by oh_black_sparrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledor - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Banter, Conversation Heavy, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Humor, M/M, Minerva McGonagall - Freeform, Multi, Nightmares, No war, Polyamory, Pranks, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, With illustrations, all the small moments, but death eaters, massive slow burn, mention and implication of childhood abuse / abandonment, missunderstandings, semi graphic violence (will be announced), teenagers being teenagers, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28438077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_black_sparrow/pseuds/oh_black_sparrow
Summary: James, Sirius, Lily, Remus and Peter start their sixth year at Hogwarts.Everything is the same as always and at the same time very different.Remus is finally starting to discover himself and is very surprised at what he finds.Sirius wants every day to count and has to learn what that means.James grows into himself and takes a liking to it.Lily gains everywhere, even when she loses.Peter doesn't know what to do with himself and gets in his own way.Helena sits in Dumbledore's office waiting for her new life to begin.But does life work like that?
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. arriving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James, Sirius, Lily, Remus and Peter start their sixth year at Hogwarts.  
> Everything is the same as always and at the same time very different. 
> 
> Remus is finally starting to discover himself and is very surprised at what he finds.  
> Sirius wants every day to count and has to learn what that means.  
> James grows into himself and takes a liking to it.  
> Lily gains everywhere, even when she loses.  
> Peter doesn't know what to do with himself and gets in his own way.
> 
> Helena sits in Dumbledore's office waiting for her new life to begin.  
> But does life work like that?

**_1th of September (waxing moon first quarter, 25 days till the full moon)_ **

The landscape outside the windows is rushing by in blurred greens and greys. The Hogwarts Express makes a soft _tschuk tschuk tschuk tschuk_ as it rides away on this gloomy and rainy September day. The door of the compartment opens and James Potter sits down next to Remus Lupin, who’s reading muggle literature just for pleasure. “What’s this about?” James asks Remus, interrupting his concentrated look and making him jump a little in his seat. Sirius, who is slouched on the other side doesn’t seem to notice James. His gaze is fixed on the landscape outside. _He doesn’t even seem to blink_ James thinks amused. A surprised “Hm?” comes from Remus throat as he looks at James like he’s never seen him before in his life.  
“What are you reading about, Moony?” James asks again. He is determined to get a reaction out of Sirius and when he has to pretend to care about a book – which was highly unlike him and should at least earn him a raised brow and a sharp comment – he could do that. Sirius had been eerily quiet for the last few days both boys had spent at the Potters’ house and James was starting to worry. He had tried to cheer him up countless times but with each try Sirius was getting even quieter. “Looks like you would rather be in there than here, the way you creep into the pages,” James says.  
Remus chuckles a soft “Maybe,” and closes the book, looking back at James. “It’s a fantasy book.”  
“What’s it about, this fantasy book? Merlin, do you have forgotten how to communicate in the last hour of cold silence in this compartment?” He glances at Sirius who still isn’t moving, eager to see if he had noticed his mocking remark.  
“Well, James,” Remus clears his throat, “It’s about friendship and a journey and Elves and Orcs, walking talking trees, Dwarfs and impending doom. And lots more. Since when are you so eager to form a book club with me, eh?” Remus raises one eye brow. James thinks he is looking rather annoyed. He considers going back to Lily, Peter and the other students which haven’t forgotten how to speak and have fun.  
“Sounds like a good book.” He still has his gaze fixed on Sirius, waiting for any motion on his mates face. “Maybe you could lend it to me sometime.”  
Remus frowns “Are you sick, James? Are you even James? Are you a Ravenclaw disguised by polyjuice?”  
James thinks he has to step up his game a bit and says “Come on, Moony. Don’t be like that. You know I like a good book. Maybe you could read it to me out loud in front of the fireplace, what do you think?” Remus thinks he must be asleep, dreaming. Then he follows James eyes and it dawns on him what’s happening here.  
“Oh bugger off, Prongs. Leave him be.” James lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair. “Has he even spoken a word since we boarded this bloody train, Remus?”  
Remus shifts slightly. “A few,” he says, reaches a hand in his bag and gets out two pieces of chocolate, offering one to his mate with the wild hair.  
“No, thanks. We had plenty from the trolley. I need to take a break if I want to be able to eat at the feast again tonight.” He loosens his gaze from Sirius and looks at the boy he’s actually been talking to: “You think he’s alright?”  
Still munching on his first piece of chocolate Remus murmurs in response, “He’s in here with you, James. He can hear us talking about him, you realize that?”

James jumps to his feet stuffs his hands to his pockets and addresses Sirius directly: “Oi, mate. Sirius? Are you alright?” The boy with the long ebony hair looks around and up at the stern face of James Potter. He speaks very calm and with a softness that makes James want to punch his shoulder:  
“Why, yes James. Thank you for asking.” Without another word, Sirius looks back out of the window, tracing the path of the raindrops dreamily with his index finger. James huffs a brisk “Suit yourself, Pads!” and stomps out of the compartment. Remus, who had picked his book back up moments ago glances over the edge of the pages, a wide grin on his face.  
“You enjoy pestering him so early into the school year, do you?” Sirius smiles a little himself, meeting Remus’ hazel eyes with his.  
“I always enjoy pestering him. You know that.”  
“But,“ Remus goes on, “he’s just worried about you, you know that?” Sirius looks back at the now darkening landscape and slightly nods his head. “Good.” Remus’ says and reaches over to offer his friend the second piece of chocolate.

Sirius gets up from his seat and drops next to Remus, leaning on him a little. He takes the chocolate out of his hand, holding it in front of his grey eyes observing it. “Thank you, Moony.”  
Remus’ way to eat a piece of chocolate is entirely different from the way Sirius does it. While Remus prefers to take small bites and lets them melt slowly on his tongue, Sirius just puts the whole thing in his mouth at once and it is gone in the blink of an eye.  
“Mh! Ginger. I like that,” he says closing his eyes sitting there, leaning on Remus who returns to his book.

Another fifteen minutes pass until Sirius speaks again. “You know, I am not ‘not alright’.” Remus, surprised by this statement looks to his left, seeing Sirius in profile with his eyes still closed. Remus can’t help but smile a little by the sight of him. He does indeed look rather relaxed right now. In fact, Remus is enjoying this ride to Hogwarts very much. Being alone with Sirius in silence, reading and munching chocolate. It’s far away from boring to him and he’s glad that James and Peter are somewhere else with their desire for whatever noisy mischief they have in mind. “I’m just not in the mood for mischief today.” Sirius continues, as if he had read Remus’ mind. “As shockingly as it might be for Master Prongs. From time to time I fancy myself some peace and quiet to let my thoughts roam free. Or something like that.” Sirius crosses his arms over his chest.  
“Well, I’m glad that you’re not ‘not alright’, Master Padfoot. One would think Prongs would still be satisfied from the mischief you've been up to over the summer. I mean, as far as your letters told me, you had quite a lot of it.” Sirius shifts from the warm shoulder of his friend and leans back in his seat. Looking at Remus he says, “Oh, you know he’s boundless when it comes to that,” sporting a smile, his eyes locked on Remus’ eyes.  
Remus looks away quickly, down to his book as if he could find the proper words for this conversation in it and says: “Well, I thought the same thing about you, but here we are.”  
There are no words for a while. Just the noises of the train, the muffled voices from outside their compartment until Sirius speaks again: “You got some of that chocolate left, eh?”  
Remus seizes the whole bar and lays it in between the two of them. “Have at it,” he says with a slight smile on his lips.  
Minutes go by in silence. Remus thinks that Sirius must have fallen asleep, judging by his low and regular breathing. But then he stirs again: “I missed you, Remus.”

Remus had missed him too. At the end of last year, Sirius had decided not to go back home to his parents. He simply could not bear it any longer to live under their roof. Listening to their twisted world views, being punished for being a bad son and to fight every day with his hysterical mother who, in Sirius opinion, had lost her mind completely. All year James and Remus had tried to help him to come to this decision. Though he was never ever on the same page as his family, all those years growing up in a _pure blood_ family like the Blacks have left traces in his psyche. His conditioning of being the heir of the noble and most ancient house of Black made it hard for him to part ways his family. Even though he officially hated the lot by the time he was thirteen.

And when Sirius came into the common room that one night shortly before the summer break, dirty from head to toe with mud and sticks in his usually so well maintained hair and told them he wasn’t going back, they all were beyond relieved. He went missing the whole day after he received a letter from his parents at breakfast and he had taken the map with him so they could not find him. James – of course – had arranged everything with his parents months ago and was just waiting for Sirius to finally come around. Old Prongs had been excited by the prospect of having his best mate out of that hell and with him for the whole summer.  
So now Sirius moved in with the Potters during the school breaks.  
Peter and Remus decided to spend a few weeks at the Potters too. So they could be there for their friend, easing him into this new situation. It was the most enjoyable summer ever. For all of them. At last Remus had spent all of July with his friends and was waiting the whole of August for September to come. He had a small folder with every letter he had ever gotten from his friends during breaks in his trunk. By the end of August the number of letters he’d received from Sirius has increased by the considerable number of thirteen. He smiled at that thought.  
In fact, they all had become so much closer over the last twelve months. Them finally becoming Animagi after years of trying, just for him! Suddenly all those thoughts are making him sentimental.  
“Remus?” Sirius asks, “Did I say something wrong?” Sirius’ looks at him, a little worried.  
“No, Padfoot. No. Not at all. I was just… lost in thoughts, you might say.” and then adds a shy: “I missed you too.”

  
James and Peter are standing on the platform looking around in the attempt to find the other two marauders amidst the hustle and bustle of Hogwarts students which looked all the same by now, wearing their school robes. “Do you think they’ve already gone up to the castle?” Peter squeaks, sounding annoyed.  
“Maybe they’ve died out of boredom and are now rotting somewhere on the train,” James replies bitterly.  
“Who’s rotten?” Lily’s voice comes from behind him.  
“We’re looking for Sirius and Remus,” Peter answers eagerly. He, at first, did not quite like Lily. All those years that James and Lily had spent disliking each other while at the same time somehow liking each other – at least that’s what Peter thought – and all of last year in this annoying ‘will they won’t they?’ manner. And at last they had gotten together.  
Peter hates change and it was quite an adjustment for him that Lily was now around all the time, taking so much of James’ attention. But he can deal with it as long as they all stay together. So Peter was determined to be nice to Lily. Eager to get her to like him and to be friends with her, so that James would be happy.  
Finally James spots Remus. The slender boy was now by far the tallest of them and his sand coloured hair stood out somehow between all the other students. James waves his arm for him to see and soon Remus and Sirius are joining the group. “James, Lily, Peter! My dear friends! How absolutely wonderful and most magnificent to see you here on this beautiful day. Ready to go to school?” Sirius exclaims in a rather cheerful manner.  
“You are the most irritating…” James starts.  
“Oh, why such a long face, Prongsy?” Sirius interrupts him. He lays both hands on James’s cheeks and gives one of them a good pinch. Lily and Remus voice a little chuckle and Peter looks, just like James, rather irritated. “School is about to start! Be cheerful. A feast awaits us and will mark the beginning of another year of wonders.”  
“Get off me, you tosser!” James demands, but with a grin on his face, noticeably glad that his friend seems back to his old form.

They share a carriage to the castle and chat along, while Remus and Lily are enjoying the view and the fresh air, while the others are already casually plotting some mayhem.

“Alright, up we go. Mingling with the crowd,” James sounds excited.  
“Well, you’ll have to survive without me for a while. Prefect meeting at Dumbledore’s office it is for me,” Remus tells them. “I have been instructed to go there first thing.”  
“Moony, you busy bugger. School has not even officially started yet and you are already dutifully doing the work of the virtuous,” Sirius muses and Peter snorts behind him.  
Remus gives Sirius a dry smile, but no verbal response and goes off to his meeting.  
“It’s getting rather more difficult to pester him with every year, eh?” Peter asks Sirius, but he just shrugs: “I’m just warming up here, Pete. Give me a moment.”

On his way to the headmasters office, Remus meets a lot of friendly and some not so friendly faces as well as a handful of other prefects. He greets and nods and shakes a few hands. He’s glad to be back at Hogwarts. He never thought he would have any friends at all and look at him now! He was by no means popular, Merlin no – but there was a decent number of people who honestly liked him and who he got along with. For Remus, this was way better than being popular. He always found it annoying how people chatted and gossiped about James and Sirius. Those two are in fact quite popular. Comes with the trade of being on the Quidditch house team.

He can see another group of prefects on their way to the office and he speeds up a little to join them. They say their ‘Hello’s’ and ‘How are you? Fine! Thank you very muchs,’ and soon they are gathered at the entrance to the headmaster’s office. One of the Ravenclaw prefects, a girl named Sabrina Yang, speaks the prefect password designated for this occasion and they are on their way up the spiral staircase.  
The first thing Remus notices in the office is the smell of cinnamon. The second thing is that most of the Slytherin prefects are already seated in their chairs, each holding a cup of tea. The third thing is Dumbledore himself. The headmaster is talking to a girl Remus has never seen before. She looks about Remus’ age, she has ashy brown hair which she wears loosely braided down her left shoulder, a heart shaped face and is rather pale. Quite like Remus so early after the full moon. What strikes him as interesting, is that she wears a plain robe without house colours.  
“Professor Dumbledore, hello,” Sabrina greets the headmaster.  
Dumbledore turns around with a big and radiant smile on his face. He’s wearing light blue robes and his long and grey beard is held together by a silver ribbon. He spreads his arms in a welcoming gesture: “Good evening everyone. It’s so very good to see you. Thank you for coming. Have a seat. There is plenty of tea and sweets, should you fancy some. We will begin soon.” Dumbledore turns to the girl in the plain robes and mutters: “We will finish this conversation after our merry gathering, if that’s alright. Take a seat yourself and try the cookies. They are rather magnificent, I might say.”

It takes about thirty minutes to go through the standard procedure that awaits Hogwarts prefects at the start of the year. Dumbledore informs them about all the new rules and those rules, which are no longer valid. He reminds them of the responsibilities and duties of a prefect and mentions the wishes that Mr. Filch - the caretaker - has for this new school year. And so on and so forth. “Are there any questions left?” The headmaster asks at last and looks very pleased by the content faces of his prefects. “Very well,” he continues: “and now, on we go, to the next point on our agenda. Helena, would you please join me?” The unknown girl, who had been waiting in the back of Dumbledore’s office the whole time, stands up and walks around the large desk in the middle of the office. Remus had frequently been looking at her during the headmaster’s speech. He had always been a curious, if reserved, boy and he really wanted to know what it was all about with that girl. He thinks that she looks a bit nervous. Now that she’s standing closer, he can see that her eyes are blue. With her left eye seeming slightly darker than the other.  
“…unusual situation.” He catches Dumbledore saying as he regains his focus, realizing he had trailed off in his thoughts.  
“As you all may know, it is common practice around institutions of magical education in Europe, that students attend just one school from the start of their training trough to their graduation. This year, there will be an exception to that.” The girl next to the tall wizard slightly shuffles her feet. She’s definitely nervous, Remus can almost feel it.  
“This,” the headmaster continues, “is Helena. She comes to us in need and we will welcome her as one of our own. She will be sorted in one of our houses today and start her sixth year with some of you.”

Remus’ brows rise up in surprise. He had never heard or read about this. It just wasn’t something that happened, for all he knew. For one thing it was a matter of security and secrecy. Not even students whose parents moved abroad changed schools because the magical community has all sorts of transportation that make long distances travelling pretty easy.  
  
“She comes to us all the way from Germany and won’t be familiar with our customs, quirks and flaws. I ask you all, to offer her a helping hand whenever she is in need of one. Regardless of the house she will be sorted into.” Remus eyes wander to the girl - _Helena_ – again and to his surprise, their eyes meet. She gives him a dim but no less friendly smile and raises her hand ever so slightly for a small wave, just moving her fingers. He mirrors the gesture with a more pronounced smile and maybe he blushes a little. He’s glad that it isn’t particularly bright in this room.  
  
“Furthermore – and in light of this unusual occasion – I must insist that you won’t pester her with questions about the reasons of her arrival at our school. Make sure that your fellow students do the same and be prepared to intervene if necessary.” This, Remus thinks, is even stranger. He personally knows a few students who will be very hard to convince about this. He lets out a small sigh and a Hufflepuff prefect next to him glances at him with a raised eyebrow.  
“At last, I wish for one of you to volunteer to accompany Helena to the great hall... “ this attracts his attention again “...until the sorting ceremony starts.” Before he knows what he’s doing, Remus stands up and raises his arm. “I would like to volunteer, Professor,” he says firmly, again blushing a little.  
“Ah, Mr. Lupin. How very great of you. Five points to Gryffindor. You may wait in front of my office after we part our ways for tonight, for I got a few more words to exchange with our new student.”  
“Of course, headmaster.”

The meeting is done and Remus is waiting in front of Dumbledore’s office as he’s been told. Amongst the prefects, the mutter about the news had started as soon as they’d reached the stairs. Remus did roll his eyes, talking to Sabrina again. “You would not believe what he just told us to _not_ do…” he’d started  
“Well, it’s pretty unusual, isn’t it? Poor girl, she looked as nervous as it gets. I wouldn’t want to be in her robes right now. I will see through that they stop the talking though.” Sabrina had interrupted him and given him a brisk “See you.” and she was off.

Remus’ head is spinning with thoughts – ‘ _Why am I so tired? I will unpack tomorrow. I am glad Sirius and James are done bickering- at least for now. Why did I even volunteer, I don’t know what to say to her. Holy harpy, I’m nervous.’ –_ when he hears a yet unfamiliar but soft voice behind him saying: “I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”  
He startles and, with some difficulty, chases away his thoughts while he turns around to the new girl: “Uh… oh… don’t worry… aaahh?” Remus seems to have lost the ability to form a full sentence. But Helena just starts talking as if he isn’t behaving like a total fool and he’s glad she does.  
“Professor Dumbledore is a very kind man – but if you get him started about cookies, you’ll never hear the end of it. Cinnamon, nuts and berries, with sprinkles or ginger. I dare say he wanted to smother me with baked goods.” Helena smiles at him.  
“I’m the same about chocolate, I suppose,” he mutters without thinking too much about what to say. She answers with a laugh that he finds quite delighting and says: "Well, I hope you don’t have a dozen chocolate bars stuffed down your pockets, because the chances that I will perish just by being in the proximity of sugar at this moment are pretty high." Remus has to laugh and suddenly he’s not so nervous anymore.

“We don’t want that to happen on your first day, right? Anyway, I am Remus and I am very pleased to meet you.” He holds out his hand for her to shake and carries on: “and I indeed have half a bar of chocolate in my pocket. I hope this is a dosage safe to carry around you or else I’m just going to throw it into the corridor as far as I can to ensure your wellbeing.” He’s pleased to see the smile widen on her face as she firmly takes hold of his hand. Her hands aren’t as soft as he suspected them to be, but the sensation is still pleasant. He suddenly is glad that he had volunteered and is surprised by how easily the ice has been broken. “I am Helena, you can call me Helen. And I already feel safe with you.” Remus blushes again.

They start their journey to the great hall and Remus, who often feels awkward and overly self-conscious is surprised that he feels quite relaxed. And he’s just curious about the girl next to him.  
“So,” he says, “is there anything you want to know?”  
“Why of course, but I am honestly quite overwhelmed and I’m not sure of what to even ask right now except for: Where is the best place to hide from all those eyes that will stare at me in the great hall shortly?” She’s rambling and Remus can relate very much.  
“I like to go to the library to satisfy that urge. I can show you the good spots for maximum tranquillity some day – if you like – but I fear today you’ll have to endure all the eyes on you.” He has put on his most compassionate expression, “It’s not that bad. The sorting, I mean. You just have to sit on the stool and let the hat do his work.” Helen sighs: “So, in which house did this old hat put you, Remus?”  
“I am in Gryffindor,” he replies while pointing at his tie. “Like most of my friends.”  
She glances at him, recognition in her eyes: “This is McGonagalls house, is it? I really like her. She took care of me in the last two weeks. Maybe this wouldn’t be bad. This Gryffindor thing.” Remus is surprised by this. _McGonagall has taken care of her? How long has she already been here?_ Remus turns is attentions back on to Helen. Her eyes are still fixed on his face, the gaze of those indeed slightly mismatched blue eyes is almost palpable.  
“It’s not that easy, right?” she asks.  
“What isn’t?”  
“To make a fluent conversation with someone you just met without thinking of questions to ask around the circumstances of their strange arrival.”  
Remus raises his brows and asks: “You can read that on my face?”  
Helena quickly looks away. “Well, yes and no. I know it sounds all utterly mysterious and I expected it to be a… a stumbling stone in the early stages of conversations. So, I can tell you this: If you’re not asking for a why and how, I probably can still tell you enough about myself so that you don’t have to think about me as the mysterious strange girl. I would like to make friends in my time here, you know. I need to be able to tell people at least something. Ah. I’m rambling again. Can you follow?”

Remus is used to people rambling. He spends most of his time with James and Sirius and hell, doesn’t he do his fare share of rambling too? He thinks he already likes her. Her being so honest and not hiding her confusion makes her really relatable.  
“If I ask a question which is off limits, you can just tell me, and I won’t object any further. Does this sound alright?” Helena nods, looking pleased.  
“So, you come from Germany, Dumbledore said.”  
Again, a nod.  
“And you’ve been here at least for two weeks already?”  
“Not in the castle. I stayed in the village. I liked it there.” Her face lights up as she says this, and he can’t help but think that she’s indeed quite pretty. “So you don’t have… eh… houses, in your school in Germany, then?” he continues, hoping that he’s not already off limits. “Nope, no houses. It’s far less magical, I’m afraid. If you attend the Grimmhain Schule für Zauberei und Okkulte Studien…“ Remus‘ face is showing a big question mark “...that means School for Sorcery and Occult Studies, you are divided into classes purely at random. It's more of an organisational unit where you stay together for three years until you start to specialise and choose certain courses. The dormitories are also divided like this in the first year, but it is not uncommon for students to change dorms if you want to room with a friend, for example.”

They engage in a vivid conversation all the way to the great hall and even stand in front of it for over five minutes till Remus realizes, that they are in fact already there and that ceremony and feast are about to begin.  
“Oh,” he mutters, “I must mention, we are already at our destination…”

“Ah, there you are…” appears a voice from behind them “I was already looking for you. We are going in through a separate entrance for the sorting. Mr. Lupin, thank you very much for your time, I will take over from here.” Minerva McGonagall rushes into their conversation, taking Helen by the elbow and starting to pull her away quickly. Helen gives Remus a comical panicky look over her shoulder. She mouths a silent ‘ _Save me’_ before her face eases into a smile. Startled by the sudden end of their conversation Remus only manages to wave after her but she has already turned away from him. He can hear Helena faintly saying “I fancy your hat, Professor…” just in time before the heavy wooden door closes behind her and the teacher.

He stands there for a moment. Somewhat puzzled but smiling and then heads off to join his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fanfiction I have ever written. So please be nice! (No really, there is no reason not to be nice.)  
> It will be quite long. 150,000 words have already been written and will be uploaded gradually at irregular intervals. All illustrations between the chapters are drawn by myself and are subject to my copyright. Any possible use must be agreed with me beforehand.


	2. sorting

“There you are, Moony. We thought you’d been expelled for being a swot. All the other prefects arrived here ages ago,” Sirius says impatiently while giving Remus a poke to the side with his elbow when he sits down next to him a few moments later.  
“I saved you a seat anyway.”  
Remus lets out a small grunt for being poked. He answers with a raised eyebrow: “The sorting has not even started yet and I was on a special mission, so I have a good reason for being gone so long.”  
Though James has been talking to Peter and Lily to Alice, all of them suddenly interrupt their conversations.  
“What special mission?” James asks and leans far over the table between him and Remus. Remus is quite satisfied with himself and teases his friends a little more: “Oh, you just wait. You will know in just a few moments.” This is met by protest from all his marauder companions. They all speak at once and the air hums with a mixture of pleading and insults. Remus just smiles slightly, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him, and ignores the complaints. Soon enough, their racket is ended by the commanding voice of the headmaster.

After the usual speech that Professor Dumbledore gives at the start of every year, the headmaster starts to explain the special occasion which is Helena’s arrival at Hogwarts and notes that they are all about to witness a first time in Hogwarts history, since she is about to become the oldest student which has ever been sorted by the good old sorting hat in all those long years in his career. The murmurs in the great hall are distinctly audible.  
“So, you knew about this?” James whispers in Remus’ direction  
“And you didn’t think of mentioning something?” Sirius continues.  
Remus just shakes his head slightly, “We all just found out in the meeting,” he explains in a whisper. Sirius' face tells him, that he’s not satisfied with this explanation. Remus just shrugs, crosses his arms over his chest and points a finger to the front of the hall. Dumbledore had just explained the part about ‘not asking questions’ and finishes with: “The prefects are advised to take house points in the case of students disregarding in this matter.”  
Sirius turns to Remus again, his eyes sparkling with excitement.  
 _Puzzle. Quest. Mystery._ those eyes seem to shout. Remus takes a look in James' direction and sees something similar on his face. He rolls his eyes and shoves Sirius with both hands to turn around again because the sorting is about to start.

Sirius notices a girl between the shorter figures of the first-year students at the end of the great hall, which is certainly older than eleven years. He stares at her back as if he can make her turn around just by the force of his will. The only thing that makes him stop is the burning of the questions he has about this situation. There are people who would call him, pathologically nosy and he wouldn’t disagree. Sirius just can’t help it. While the first student makes his way up to be sorted he turns to Remus once again. A whispering match begins.

“What do you know about this?”

“Not now, Sirius.”

“I don’t see why not.” James lies almost flat on the table in an effort to be closer to them.

“Well,” Remus gives in, “I know a little. I brought her down here and we talked. But I would rather tell you that later.”

HUFFLEPUFF! Shouts the hat and is followed by cheering.

James says: “C’mon Moony!”

“She’s from Germany,” Remus says reluctantly.

Faces with raised eyebrows glare at him, demanding more than that.

GRYFFINDOR! Cheers. Murmurs: ‘This was a fast one.’

“She seems very nice. And smart. And funny.”

“So did you tell her, that she has to be in Gryffindor?” Sirius asks, visibly excited by the last thing Remus had said. He begins to regret telling his friends anything.

“You know, that’s not quite how it works, Pads?” James notes.

“But it has to,” Sirius says, pouting.

“But it won’t,” Peter chimes in.

“Well, anyway,” Sirius mutters, “you know her already, Remus. So you can introduce me…us after this thing.”

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” Lily joins the conversation, talking over another HUFFLEPUFF from the sorting hat.

“Because it’s a mystery!”

“No, _it’s_ a person, Black,” Lily scolds him, “And I suppose she’s got enough on her plate without you nosy bugger being added to it.”

After a brief pause, Remus states: “The head boy and girl of the house she will be sorted into are supposed to accompany to their common room her after the feast with the rest of the first-years, so that’s that.”

They were so preoccupied with their bickering, that they only realize that Helena is on her way up because Alice shushes them. At once, the whole hall falls quiet. Remus’ stomach sinks a little. He realizes that he too wants her to be sorted into Gryffindor. He liked their conversation and he wouldn’t mind having another one. Would not mind at all. Remus looks through the hall and of course, every eye rests on Helena, who is just inches away from the stool. He thinks about how nervous she was about this earlier and is full of sympathy but also excitement. Next to him, Sirius is tapping his feet with tension, deeply concentrated on the scene. _Good,_ he thinks tenderly. He is glad that Sirius enjoys the day and seems indeed to be far away from _not alright_ right now _._

**...**

Helena feels a little sick. In just a few moments all the attention would be on her. Attention by many at once was something that – she had learned this very early on in her life – was better to avoid. But, she told herself, this is different. Right. Dumbledore assured her, she would be safe here. And she already liked Hogwarts. This huge epic castle in this beautiful Scottish landscape. It was, as she had told Remus before, quite different from Grimmhain. She also liked her old school, very much so. But Hogwarts is just majestic; she could not help but feel like she was in a story. One in an old book with a worn cover. When she thought about how she managed to get in between those covers, she still got a little dizzy.  
Everything has gone so fast in the end.  
Professor McGonagall had just read another name out loud. Helen did not catch it, but it was with a R. So she would be called up soon. She wishes they would just all turn around the other way for her sorting.  
RAVENCLAW shouts the hat. Her muscles tense, another student is called and the tension shortly wavers. She thinks about the little room in Hogsmeade she had stayed in the last two weeks, about Dumbledore and how he held her that night she had arrived until the tears had stopped. She thinks about the smells in his office and the crooked little smile, that Remus… Lupin? - was it that what McGonagall called him – gave her when they first started speaking. And then McGonagall speaks again and calls her name. The white noise of the humming students, interrupted frequently by celebratory racket to welcome their new mates, was suddenly gone. She meets the face of the witch who gives Helena an encouraging nod and a serene smile. Her legs are straightening, and then moving. One in front of the other. _Bravo, you know how to walk, Helen,_ she thinks and feels a nervous giggle climbing up her throat and swallows it down. _Keep calm. Nothing will happen to you._ She’s halfway there and feels like she’s about to be sick any minute. _Not that an old dirty hat would mind that, I suppose. He’s a hat after all._ And the giggle rises again. Two steps away from the stool she takes a deep breath and shoots a glance at Dumbledore. Suddenly, all the confidence and the calmness in those old eyes give her a little peace of mind. The white noise that was still active in her mind stops, too. She has barely taken her seat on the stool when the hat is already hanging over her. McGonagalls arm is lowering, lowering and:

‘ _HMMMMMM‘_ a raspy voice says quietly, Helena is not quite sure if it’s in her head or not.

“Hello, Mr. Hat,” she thinks.

‘ _INTERESTING. UNUSUAL.’_

‘You think? What in particular makes you say that?’

 _‘WELL... I USUALLY GET THEM AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN. FIVE YEARS ARE EONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. YOUR MIND IS SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX, THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE._ _A LOT OF WIT AND HUMOR, KINDNESS AND STAMINA... OH, SO MUCH TO SEE.’_

She can’t help but feel exposed. As if the hat could blurt out all her secrets to the great hall. In her mind, she urges him to be quick about this.

‘ _IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE, YOU SEE? YOU WANT TO BE IN THE RIGHT HOUSE, THE HOUSE TO UNFOLD ALL YOUR POTENTIAL. AND I SEE A LOT OF POTENTIAL’_

‘So, aren’t you supposed to be a professional? Haven’t you done this like a million times?”

‘ _GO ON AND SNARL, I’LL TAKE MY TIME.’_

 _I’m getting mocked by a hat,_ she thinks. But what she does not know is, that a lot of students are holding their breath by now. It’s been two minutes already and it’s always something when the hat takes this long.

‘ _YOU GOT EVERYTHING RIGHT HERE. THE QUESTION IS: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT? WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? IN LIFE?’_

‘You see,’ she thinks quite sharply ‘I just got here. I was hoping that for once I could stop wondering where I have to go next and just _be_ for a little while. So that I can breathe. And figure out what you just asked me myself. Have little fun. Make friends. Stuff like that. I’m not that picky.’

Three minutes and five seconds.

 _‘THIS IS PRETTY SMART OF YOU, INDEED. AND ALL THINGS CONSIDERED… HMMM… I THNIK I KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOU NOW…..’  
_ Three minutes and nineteen seconds.

_RAVENCLAW!!!!!!!!_

Bellowing noise.

Helena stands up, looks to the table under the blue and bronze banners but she does not really notice where she’s going until her housemates embrace her and cheer at her to welcome her at the house table. _Well, at least I did not vomit in front of the whole school. A good start, if I might say._

Professor McGonagall reads out the next name. There are three students left. Next follows the feast. The chatter.  
 _I really need to sleep._ But Helena is happy. She really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter. The next one will be longer. 
> 
> Feel free to share your thoughts with me.


End file.
